LATEST ADDITIONS

Vinylphyle & Definitive Sound

Robert Baird Jun 17, 2026

Not long ago, the return of vinyl records was still being labeled a fad—a momentary fascination that given the convenience of the digital world would soon fade. Then around 2022, when vinyl outsold CDs for the first time since 1987, minds began to change.

News

Klaudio comes clean at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling Jun 16, 2026

Ola Björling speaks with speaks with Isaac Choi of Klaudio at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new KD-CLN-LP200U ultrasonic record-cleaning machine, in addition to their Magnezar auto-clamping and non-clamping turntables and Tangential tracking tonearm.

My Back Pages

Zen & Quality Audio

Phil Willis Jun 16, 2026

If you had to describe the kind of audio system that you would like to have, with only one word, what word would you choose? Some would choose the word "quality." In a book titled Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, from 1974, Robert Pirsig considers the word and concept as a fundamental way of thinking about things that encompasses both reason and feelings.

News

Entre Nous: Ideon Audio streams on at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling Jun 15, 2026

Ola Björling speaks with George Ligerakis of Ideon Audio at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new Nous streamer/DAC that features an optional analog preamplifier section.

Audacious Audio Turntable Reviews

BennyAudio Odyssey turntable

Ken Micallef Jun 15, 2026

International audio shows are a white-knuckle thrill ride. The moment I first entered one of the four colossal, cathedral-like "Halles" of High End Munich 2024, my brain short-circuited. Among the products that gripped my senses that weekend, the Brutalist allure of the BennyAudio Odyssey Turntable ($45,000) spoke to me loudest.

ReDiscoveries

ReDiscoveries #14: Real-Life Influencers, Rock'n'Roll Style

Tom Fine Jun 14, 2026

Here's what real influencers do: If you're Carl Perkins, every song on your first LP was covered by Beatles. If you're Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones named their band after one of your songs.. If you're Chuck Berry, you influenced anyone who has ever considered themselves rock'n'rollers. And if you're Johnny Cash, you were the original Outlaw Country artist, and you invented the country-rock nexus.

News

Orpheus Lab amps it up at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling Jun 14, 2026

Ola Björling speaks with Tiago Novo of Orpheus Lab at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's forthcoming A Four N200 integrated streaming amplifier and their new, gargantuan H Three M1400 monoblock amplifier that weighs 330lb (!).

News

Going Dutch & Dutch at High End Vienna 2026

Ola Björling Jun 13, 2026

Ola Björling speaks with Martijn Mensink of Dutch & Dutch at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new 6c loudspeakers, their RoomMatching technology, and their new app for speaker calibration.

News

Bill Voss, Technics's man in the US, retires

Tom Fine Jun 12, 2026

Bill Voss of Technics retired in June 2026 after 44 years with parent company Panasonic, the past decade as US Business Development Manager during Technics' successful relaunch as a hi-fi major player.

Integrated Amp Reviews

AVM Evolution AS 5.3 streaming integrated amplifier

Ken Micallef Jun 11, 2026

I'm known as an unrepentant tube-amplifier devotee and turntable missionary. I spin vinyl in listening spaces, make jazz-vinyl videos, and review turntables, cartridges, and record cleaning machines. I'm a semi-Luddite for whom streaming is a last resort rather than a daily need. I prefer the analog-playback setup gauntlet to the setup gauntlet that comes with streaming amplifiers and network bridges.